The Sunday Oregonian., November 21, 1909, SECTION FIVE, Page 2, Image 50

a . , THE SUyDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 21, 1909.
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BV GEORGE PALMER PCTKAM.
ONE of the most Interesting col
lection of Indian relics and the
products of red man workman
i ship to be found anywhere In the Pacific
jlfortnwest. Is the property tf Mrs. Ada.
IB. MiUican of Prineville. Oregon. Few
ifeetures. indeed, of that active Central
'Oregon town possess more attraction for
'the visitor than does this display of
'curios, which may be examined practl
'cally by all who desire to make Its ac
quaintance. Not only is there a vast deal of in
Iterest and profit to be derived from a
visit to the collection, but the life and
xperiences of its proprietress In them
leAlves afford a chapter as fascinating as
'the stories that cling about the trophies
.'she has amassed in her varied wander
'ings. Klrt. then, a brief word concerning
-the "Indian Lady." owner of the Prine
iville collection of oddities.
Her knowledge of the red people is In
no wife that of second band and highly
j colored "book learning." and Idle after
fnoon tea discussion, but the outgrowth
of a Ions "d intimate experience. For
ix years Mrs. Mlliican was actively In
fthe Government service, during that
'time occupying various positions on the
! rolls of the Indian Department, but al
ways those that kept her in the field
and in close contact with the people
whose ways and characteristics she de
sire to study.
For the greater part of her official
service she was stationed on reserva
tions among the llntas snd T'ncom
pafTes. tribe of the Utes in Utah, the
race who were the last of all the Ameri
can Indians to give up the blanket, and
today probably retain more . of their
aboriginal customs and characteristics
than any of their brothers, with - the
possible exception of the extremely Iso
lated far southwestern groups. Later.
Mrs. Mill lean worked at Yuma, and
among the Pimas. Papagos and Marl
copas. as she progressed, always adding
to her growing collection, piece by piece,
'and likewise constantly increasing her
growing store of Indian lore. While
with the Pimas she was near the great
Cass, Grande ruins, the most uniquely
interesting and the most important of all
the remains of the bygone day of the
supremacy of the first Americans,
whence she procured many of the curi
osities that form her present collection.
...
Although at all times interested in
ethnology, and profiting by the many
rare opportunities afforded her for its
study, she admits that the phrase "hurry
up" was about the only linguistic ac
complishment to her credit. This all
neceasary command. It seems, was ac-
quired In the half-dozen tongues with
whose users she came in contact, form
' big. as it did. by far the most indispen
aible part of the vocabulary of one whose
duty it was to extract labor from the
languid and not always over-willing
copper colored boys and girls.
From the Pima reservation this woman
worker took the first Indian children to
the then new school at Riverside, CaL.
now grown famous as the greatest of the
western Indian educational centers. In
her experiences Mrs. Millican saw both
extremes of red man nature, going to the
Pimas. who are regarded as among the
best, from the midst of the Utes. who
are looked upon as the least civilized and
most apt to become- trouble makers of
them all.
To pass from the streets of Prineville
into the rooms where are displayed the
results of Mrs. Milllcan's years of col
lecting, is to enter, for the moment, an
other landa land rich in quaint beauty,
historic interest, and particularly in the
legendary lore which the products of the
redmen's hands has Inseparably woven
into their every feature. Modest as the
display Is. as compared to the great col
lections, in some of its features It sur
passes any other In the state, and In
certain respects would do credit to the
galleries of the great Smithsonian Itself.
There are baskets, beads, bows and
blankets, pictures, pottery, trinkets. Jew
elry, all In an amazingly picturesque and
tastefully arranged combination about
the shelves and walls of the little room
which serves as a "museum" an unad
vertised showplace which probably at
tracts more merited attention than any
other In all Central Oregon.
A souvenir of no little historic Impor
tance are the earring." made by Ebenezer.
a participant in the Meeker massacre in
Colorado, 26 years ago, whose horrors
have been so graphically depicted in the
lines of Eugene Field's poem, in his de
scription of Chrepeta's famed ride to get
the troops. Cheepeta, It will be remem
bered, was the wife of old Chief Ouray,
who after the death of her powerful hus
band was the first woman who ever sat
In Indian council.
The curious curio seeker may also gaze
upon the fantastically adorned robe once
worn by Snake John, who had the grew
some distinction of ending Meeker's life
by forcing a stave down his throst. after
which the murderer saved the Meeker
women from a similar fate, only to carry
them away captives. This Snake John. It
appears, was a leader of the Ute "400."
' and wore the robe now displayed In
Prineville while taking part in the sun
and moon or medicine dances, which his
tribe keeps up to this day. to some ex
tent. A "medicine man's" outfit, including
eagle feathers, carved lizards, amulets
and charms of every description, hinted
in interesting fashion of the ancient rites
p in whose celebration they had once taken
part, while a pappoosa board, a contriv
ance for earrrlnjr Indian babies on their
mothers baefcs. gave an Idea of the an
tecedents of the perambulators of today.
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There was a war club from the field
where Custer fell, later utilized as a po
tato masher, despite the blood stains that
had soaked into its ironwood head, as
well as another, made of a diamond
shaped piece of metal, said to have been
used by old Geronlmo when that worthy
was on one of his semi-occasional ram
pages. The visitor was admiring with partic
ular relish a gaudily attired Indian doll,
laden with beads, when his enthusiasm
was materially dampened by learning
that the hair that now adorns the play
thing's head once belonged to a white
Woman, who lost It via the tomahawk
route. After all, a doll whose chief at
traction is the scalp of a murdered wom
an lacks somewhat of being an ideal
child's playtime companion! A fact of
some interest in connection with these
Indian dolls is that a feather decoration
signifies that they are Intended to rep
resent males, while the presence of beads
Indicates that they are females.
A "flirting flute" came next. This in
strument, as Its entirely appropriate title
indicates, is used by the lovesick swains
when words fail to express the abandon
ment of their adoration. On them they
play weird tuneless tunes, which are cal
culated to attract an echo of their own
love in the hitherto chilly hearts of their
lady loves. After hearing the atrocious
melodies perpetrated on the "flirting
flute," the listener's heart is apt to soft
en towards those whom he may have
heard "discoursing sweet music," at "va
rious inappropriate times, on cornet,
piano or violin, when laboring to work
off an excess of loveslckness. For cer
tainly the methods of the white man's
expression of feeling are decidedly less
painful to the disinterested listener than
ever could be the case where the waillngs
of the flirting flute are concerned.
The fact that the Indians were addicted
to the "filthy weed," as are their white
brothers today, was evidenced by the
presence of a tobacco pouch elaborately
decorated with beads' woven upon sinew,
the work of an Indian wife of a Hudson
Bay Company's trader, long before the
tobacco trust and the unions had put a
crimp In the possibilities of individual
production.
. "
In looking over these relics or the fast
vanishing red race, and having called to
mind their histories and the countless In
teresting tales of their customs and le
gends, a review of some of these that are
most intimately connected with thss life of
AT PRINEVILLE
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the Northwest, not unnaturally seems ap
propriate. Everyone who has ascended the Colum
bia River knows somewhat of the tales
that cling about the "Bridge of the
Gods." at the present Cascades, where
the locks overcome the .falls which now
have replaced the ancient natural bridge
which once spanned the mighty river.
One of the most beautiful of all the In
dian legends has to do with the story of
tnJs bridge, a myth which otters a de
lightfully supernatural explanation ,for
the existing state of affairs, and even
gQes so far as to account for a snow
capped mountain or two.
It is an authentic fact that where the
great river today has torn for itself a
way through the Cascade Mountains,
some 3000 feet below the crest of the di
vide, there once existed a vast natural
bridge, spanning the waters of the river.
Also, it seems pretty certain that at one
time the river was dammed-at this point
by some kind of gigantic slide down from
the mountains. All this the red men ex
plain with their legend.
According to this the downfall of the
ancient bridge and the damming of the
river came about from a battle once
waged between the rival mountains, Hood
and Adams. Mount Hood, enraged at
some offense on the part of its trans
river neighbor, hurled an enormous boul
der at Mount Adams, which In some way
failed to find Its mark, and falling short,
crashed through the bridge.
All Indians have a belief in the exist
ence of a "happy hunting ground," whose
characteristics and modes of attainment,
however, differ materially with the sev
eral tribes.
One of the quaintest of all the myths
deals with the legendary history of the
famous Chinook wind. For the details of
the story the writer is chiefly Indebted to
Professor Lyman's excellent book, "The
Columbia River."
-Once there were five brothers who lived
near the Columbia River, In a land over
which often blew a cold wind, called the
Walla Walla, because it came from the
northeast, and which was set In- motion
by another set of brothers. The two
groups of brothers were continually at
odds, and in their constant bickerings,
they managed to devastate the country
far and wide, first one set blowing the
chill wind, which froze the lands and the
crops, and then the other hastening over
it with the warm breezes which brought
about a general thawing. Altogether,
things were exceedingly uncomfortable.
Finally It was agreed that the rival
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brothers should fight for supremacy; the
Walla Walla brothers challenged the Chi
nook brothers to a great wrestling match,
each side to stake their lives as a forfeit,
lh case of defeat. An umpire, one Speel
yel. was selected. But this Speelyel played
the Chlnooks traitor by advising the
Walla Walla brothers to throw ice on
the wrestling ground, to which they them
selves were accustomed, but upon which
the Chinook brothers could not stand, but
slipping, were every one defeated and put
to death.
It happened that the eldest Chinook had
a baby boy, who, from the moment of
his father's death, was brought up and
trained with the sole idea in life to get
revenge upon the Walla Walla brothers.
During his youth he went about tire coun
try pulling up trees, and practicing great
feats of strength, that he might fit him
self for the contest. And in the mean
time the Walla Walla brothers were rul
ing the land without hindrance, and their
cold winds were devastating far and wide.
At last young Chinook was ready, and he
went to his grandparents on the banks of
the Columbia. Here he persuaded his old
grandfather to go fishing out upon the
river, taking him secretly In the little
boat. Thereupon the Walla Walla wind
brothers, "as w-as their tormenting cus
tom, rushed down upon the river, and
with their furious blasts threatened to
overturn the little boat if it did not quit
the water.' But thanks to the strength
and skill of the young Chinook champion,
the winds were unable to catch the boat,
and the old grandfather was able to land
In safety with his fish. Then another
wrestling match was arranged between
Chinook and the Walla Walla brothers,
one against five. And this time Chinook
contrived to have oil spilled over the
wrestling ground after his rivals had ex
hausted their supply of ice, with the re
sult that he speedily accomplished the
overthrow of all five brothers. Four of
them were put to death, but the youngest,
losing courage, surrendered, and was
spared.
The Judge, Speelyei. then declared that
even if he were allowed to live he should
henceforth have strgenth to blow only
very softly, and should lose all his wind
power of freezing. And so It Is that to
day, even If a cold Winter wind, from the
Hps of Walla Walla, blows from the
northeast for a short time, it is sure to
be followed immediately by the gentle
melting breezes of the Chinook, which
puts to flight defeated Walla Walla, and
brings blessings to the entire land.
The visitor saw beads of every variety,
many of prehistoric origin taken from, the
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neighborhood of the Casa, Grande ruins,
pieces of turquois, once usjH as units of
monetary exchange, and often worn as
talismen. and amulet Perhaps most
precious of all was a string of beads once
worn by Princess Evangeline, daughter of
Chief Seattle beside which hung a "Mc
Carty," or iiair rope, woven by the Papa
goo Indians.
Baskets galore filled every nook and
comer left vacant by the many other
precious articles. A "geho," or burden
basket made by the Papagoos from the
century plant and ribs of the giant cactus
and colored with mineral dyes was" one
of the most interesting of these: and in
ETHICS WHICH FORBIP THEM TO ADVERTISE
LEAD CHICAGO DOCTORS TO STRANGE DEEDS
Pretending to Cut Out Appendix, but Leaving It In, Said to Be Common Thing Real Estate Auction Tried.
Plan to Stop Market "Corners."
BY JONATHAN' PALMER.
CHICAGO, Nov. 20. (Special.) is the
medical profession so pressed in the
problem of making a . living that
many of its members resort to "fake"
operations for the purpose of annexing
fees?- The charge has been made by
Dr. G. G. Burdlck, a Chicago physician,
and he is supported in part by other
physicans. who do not care to. go on
record by name. The stigma thus thrown
on the profession here has caused a
sensation and bitter resentment In some
quarters.
Dr. Burdick said he knew one doctor in
Chicago who had boasted of removing
800 appendices without a single fatality.
The statement had gone unchallenged un
til a 'nurse of the physician in question
had quit him. Thereupon the nurse de
clared that In not one of his cases had
the physician actually removed an appen
dix. He had simply made a harmless In
cision while the patient was under an
anaesthetic, had .sewed up the wound
again and charged a fee for a regular
major operation.
.Servant Girl Defrauded.
The story is told of a house servant, a
young woman, who had gone to a physi
cian to be treated for stomach trouble.
The doctor diagnosed It as a case of ap
pendicitis and went through the motions
of removing the appendix. The young
woman recovered from the anaesthetic
and was advised that she would have no
further trouble. Within a few weeks she
was taken ill again and another physician
actually removed the diseased tissue. He
told the young woman bluntly she had
been imposed upon. Fortunately, the girl
had not paid In full for the first alleged
operation. When she quit paying no de
mand was made on her for the rest.
"Many patients suffering from slight
ailment of the stomach go to their physi
cians to be treated. The appendicitis
fake' is sprung," said Dr. Burdick. "the
little Incision heals quickly, the stomach
trouble is treated with a bit of medicine
and the patient flatters herself or himself
on being in the 'no appendix' class. There
are hundreds of such cases in Chicago
and the victims of the fraud are not any
the wiser in most cases."
The ethics of the profession which for
bid advertising are held to blame for
much of the alleged fraud practiced. The
obscure doctor who has little chance to
get Into the limelight or to build up a
clientele finds the temptation to land a
big fee too strong to resist, according to
some of the physicians who talked. They
need money to live and get it the best
way they can.
Investigation by the druggists' associa
tion and physicians shows there is a wide
spread system of partnership between
doctors and drug clerks in "getting pa
tients." 1 Customers who call for medicine
at drug stores are handed cards by clerks.
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the peaceful basket, in strange contrast,
lav a bow and arrow used in the war be
tween the Pimas and Apatchees, close
neighbor to which was a carved cane,
once the property of old Chief Tabby.
And there were arrow heads" without end,
curiously carved paddles, a dried "cup"
from the giant (actus, a cluster of cru
cifixion thorns, the replica of those of
Palestina. prehistoric shells, pottery from
the hands of the Tumas and Pueblos, and
many a relic unearthed on Memalonse
burial Island, in the Columbia, below The
Dalles.
These and many more curiosities rat
tlers' skills, wampum, elks' teeth, blan
with suggestions that they cafl on certain
physicians "for better treatment." The
cards bear numbers identifying the clerk
or "capper" to the physician and when
the latter wins a patient ho shares his
fee with the clerk. That is the reason
why so many physicians seek out offices
over or convenient to drugstores.
Auction sales of real estate, which have
been so successful in New York, have
been introduced in Chicago by the Real
Estate Board. The members believe they
have devised a way of galvanizing the
business which has shown littlo life since
the days of the World's Fair, 18 years ago,
in spite of the rapid growth of the city
In population and manufactures.
Within a mile or two of the business;
heart of the city there are many pieces
of property which, if placed on the mar
ket, would not bring as much as they sold
for 10 or even 20 years ago. The. tendency
of values to decrease has discouraged
buyers of Chicago realty, although it is
inevitable that any property within four
miles of State and Madison streets is
bound eventually to become niore valu
able. ,
Big crowds have attended the auctions
already held. Many have gone out of
curiosity but the bidding has been of such
character as to give encouragement for
the permanency -of this plan of sales.
The board brought on from New York
one of Gotham's famous experts in auc
tioning off real estate to tell the secret
of his success. At a banquet he gave a
dramatic example of selling a piece of
realty, talking to imaginary bidders in
different parts of the room.
"Jolly" Runs -Up Price.
He gave special exposition of the appeal
to psychology which, he said, was per
fectly legitimate for both buyer and seller.
He showed how a piece of Broadway
property had been run up from $,000 to
$96,500 by judicous "Jollying" of bidders.
Since the auction sales had begun in New
York, he declared, the cheapest lot sold
had increased in value at least 'JO per cent
Admittedly it will take some jostling to
shape the afverage Chicago investor loose
from his idea that the right thing to buy
Is land in the West or city lots in West
ern cities.
If a rule recently posted on the Board
of Trade and soon to be voted on by the
membership of that body Is adopted, it
is expected the old days of "cornering"
the grain markets and forcing the price
out of sight beyond the commercial value
of the grain will have passed away. The
tendency of the big operators In recent
years, due to the pressure of public sentiment-
has been not to urge the "squeez
ing" method too far. James A. Patten
is one of the successful operators who has
shown mercy to those opposed to hini in
the market, but there is still enough of
the spirit of the old days to call for
some protective measures for the buyer
and the seUer as well as the public which
is a consumer of flour.
Xne rule, which, was drafted by a special
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kets all ranged side by side, combining
in an abbreviated space a vast variety of
Interesting objects. Such, then, in a brief
description of the little collection which
one may sometimes see In Prineville.
It is worth the seeing, and the wonder
is not that the display is so interesting,
but that its owner is content to let It
remain where It Is, In comparative ob
scurity, when many an institution would
welcome its acquisition. Central Oregon
has a multitude of sights to attract the
visitor, but none will afford a more gen
uinely interesting entertainment than an
introduction to these relics of the fast
vanishing race.
committee appointed to investigate the
subject, provides that the president of
the Board shall appoint a committee of
three, to be approved by the. directors,
whose business it shall be to determine as
nearly as may the commercial value of
the property involved as the maturity of
the contracts where there has been failure
to make a basis upon which settlement
shall be made. As liquidated damages
the seller will be penalized by being
directed to pay the purchaser not less
than 5 and not more than 10 per cent of
the value of the commodity determined
by the committee. Settlement must be
made without delay and the damages
shall be due and payable immediately on
the finding of the committee.
In this rule the special committee be
lieves it has found a way to protect the
interests of both the buyer and the seller
and to do away with the extremely
panicky days that have featured crises
in the grain markets in past years.
Iovely Suffragette Kntrances.
Mrs. Philip Snowden. the English suf
fragist, Is here today exerting her elo
quence and her physical rlmrnia in the
intere.it of the vote for women. She is
the first of the "beauty squad'' in this
causo to lend its help to the. movement In
Chicago, and purely as a personality she
Is a raging success. Her loveliness was a
force that could not be resisted, tt was
felt the minute she arrived in tho city
and It has been quietly exerting itself
every second since.
Almost simultaneously with the coming
of Mrs. Snowden, Mrs. Potter Talmer
reached her old home. Hitherto she had
not shown any lively Interest In the move
ment for the franchise tor women, hut
the leaders of the cause in Chicago are
hoping that sooner or later she will join
the ranks of Mrs. Clarence Mackay and
Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont. If she should do
so. great impetus undoubtedly would be
given to the suffrage cause in tills city.
Chicago is waiting for an acknowledged
social leader to take the lead.
( Great Resort Plunned.
Option has been procured by a wealthy
syndicate of New York and- Chicago cap
italists on a tract of land on the Lake
Shore Drive as the proposed site for a
hotel and fashionable resort to rival any
thing of the kind in the Old World. Six
million dollars Is the amount informally
set for expenditure on the enterprise. The
plans call for a 1000-room hotel set In
an environment of gardens and flowers,
for a casino and other things of beauty.
An unique feature Is to be a "Universal
Permanent Exposition." where the beau
tiful and practical wares of the world
may be on diRplay throughout the. year.
Ultlmatels' it is the hope that tho com
munity will be further featured with a
magnificent opera-house in addition to
the theater, which Is to be a part of the
hotel building. It is the most daring
movement that has been nroiected since
World's Fair year.
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